Your privacy is important to me. This notice explains what personal information I collect and hold in the course of my psychotherapy, counselling and supervision practice, how I use it, and how I keep it secure.
Who I am
I am Gill Pelage, an integrative and transpersonal psychotherapist and clinical supervisor in private practice. I am the data controller for the personal information I hold about my clients and supervisees.
You can contact me using the email address or telephone number shown on this website if you have any questions about how I use your information.
Information I may hold
Depending on our work together, I may hold:
• your name and contact details
• GP details and an emergency contact
• appointment information
• correspondence by email, telephone or WhatsApp
• information you choose to share with me about your health, relationships, family, personal history or other aspects of your life
• brief clinical notes
• invoices and payment information
• information relating to supervision where you are working with me as a therapist or other professional
Some of this information may be classed as special category data under UK data protection law because it concerns health, sexuality, racial or ethnic origin, religious or philosophical beliefs or other sensitive areas of personal life.
Why I use your information
I use personal information only where it is reasonably necessary to:
• respond to enquiries and arrange appointments
• provide psychotherapy, counselling or supervision
• maintain appropriate clinical and professional records
• communicate with you about our work
• manage invoices, payments and accounts
• meet my ethical, professional and legal responsibilities
• respond appropriately where there is a serious concern about safety or wellbeing
The lawful basis for processing ordinary personal information will normally be that it is necessary in order to provide a service you have requested or to fulfil our therapeutic or supervisory agreement.
Where I process sensitive or special category information, I do so only where there is an appropriate lawful condition for doing so, including the provision of health or therapeutic care, protection of vital interests, safeguarding, legal claims or explicit consent where appropriate.
How I keep information
My clinical notes are kept on paper in a locked bureau at my home.
On my phone, clients are normally identified by initials rather than full names. Calendar appointments are also recorded using initials.
Emails are held in my email account. Invoices contain clients’ names. Payment information appears on my bank records and may also be seen by my accountant where necessary for accounting and tax purposes.
I take reasonable steps to keep personal information secure and to limit identifying information where possible.
Online sessions and communication
I use Zoom for some online therapy and supervision sessions. Some clients also choose to use WhatsApp for video sessions.
WhatsApp may also be used for practical communication between sessions.
Zoom, WhatsApp and other technology providers process information under their own privacy arrangements. Some providers may process data outside the UK using their own data-protection safeguards.
Confidentiality and supervision
Psychotherapy and supervision are confidential, subject to the usual ethical and legal limits.
I discuss aspects of my clinical work in professional supervision or consultation where this is necessary to support safe and ethical practice.
When I do so, I minimise identifying information and usually use initials rather than names. However, complete anonymity cannot always be guaranteed, particularly where professional or community networks overlap.
I would normally only disclose identifiable information without your agreement where there is a serious concern about your safety or someone else’s safety, a safeguarding concern, or where I am legally required to do so.
GP and emergency-contact information would only normally be used where there is a serious concern about safety or wellbeing.
How long I keep information
For longer-term therapy, I normally retain clinical records for up to seven years after therapy ends.
For brief therapy, records will normally be retained for around three years after the work ends.
After the relevant retention period, paper clinical records are securely destroyed.
Financial records may need to be retained for longer where this is required for accounting, tax or legal purposes.
Records relating to supervision are kept only for as long as reasonably necessary for professional, ethical or legal purposes.
Website information and analytics
You do not need to provide personal information simply to browse this website.
There is no website contact form. If you contact me, you do so directly by telephone or email.
The website uses Google Analytics through Google Site Kit to help me understand how people find and use the site. This may involve the collection of technical information such as pages visited, browser or device information and approximate location.
Google processes this information under its own privacy arrangements.
Sharing your information
I do not sell or use client information for marketing.
Information may be shared only where reasonably necessary, for example with:
• my accountant, in relation to financial records
• my professional supervisor or consultant, normally with identifying details minimised
• a GP, emergency contact or relevant service where there is a serious concern about safety or wellbeing
• legal or regulatory bodies where I am required to disclose information
• technology providers used to deliver or administer the service
Your rights
Data protection law gives you a number of rights in relation to your personal information. Depending on the circumstances, these may include the right to:
• ask what information I hold about you
• request a copy of your personal information
• ask for inaccurate information to be corrected
• ask for information to be deleted where there is no lawful reason for it to be retained
• ask for processing to be restricted
• object to certain uses of your information
Not every right applies in every circumstance, particularly where information must be retained for legal, safeguarding or professional reasons.
If you are unhappy about how I have handled your personal information, please contact me first so that I have an opportunity to address your concern.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK regulator for data protection.
Changes to this notice
I may update this privacy notice occasionally to reflect changes in my practice, technology or data protection requirements.
Last updated: August 2026